Age of Empires (video game)
A 1997 RTS set in the ancient world.
Age of Empires, a real-time strategy title from 1997, lets players guide an ancient civilization through four ages, unlocking stronger units with each era. Developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, it was the first game in its series and ran on a 2D sprite engine. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever, it later received an expansion, a Gold Edition, a sequel, and a 2018 remaster.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Ensemble Studios, Definitive Edition:
- Forgotten Empires
- Tantalus Media
- Publisher
- Microsoft, Definitive Edition: Microsoft Studios
- Director
- Bruce Shelley
- Designer
- Brian Sullivan; Rick Goodman
- Composer
- Stephen Rippy; David Rippy
- Programmer
- Angelo Laudon, Matt Pritchard
- Artist
- Brad Crow
- Engine
- Genie
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players develop a civilization from hunter-gatherers to an expansive Iron Age empire by gathering resources to pay for units, buildings, and technology. Resources are finite; cut trees do not regrow. Twelve civilizations are available, each with unique attributes and technologies, and no civilization has all possible technologies. Advancement through four ages—Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron—is researched at the Town Center, unlocking new technologies, weapons, and units. The game includes four single-player campaigns following Egyptian, Greek, Babylonian, and Yamato civilizations, plus a demo campaign set in the Hittite Empire. A random map mode generates different maps each game, with variations like death match. Multiplayer supports up to eight players online or over a network, though lag and disconnections are common. Microsoft Gaming Zone supported multiplayer until June 19, 2006.
Development
Age of Empires, originally titled Dawn of Man, was Ensemble Studios' first game. Its historical setting was chosen to be more plausible and accessible than the science fiction and fantasy settings of other real-time strategy games at the time, drawing inspiration from Civilization. The game was announced in June 1996 at E3. Designers included Bruce Shelley, Rick Goodman, Tony Goodman (artwork), and Dave Pottinger (AI). Stephen Rippy directed the music, using actual period instruments and digital samples, with help from his brother David. Angelo Laudon led coding, and Matt Pritchard led graphics and optimisation. The drawing core used about 13,000 lines of hand-written x86 32-bit assembly code for faster sprite loading. Development took two and a half years with a team of 25. The expansion The Rise of Rome, released October 22, 1998, added the Roman Empire and three other civilizations, along with interface tweaks like unit queuing and higher population limits in multiplayer.
Reception
In the United States, Age of Empires debuted at #7 on PC Data's sales rankings for October 1997 and sold over 178,000 units by year's end, generating over $8 million in revenue. It was the most successful real-time strategy game in the US during late 1997, outselling Total Annihilation and Dark Reign combined. Globally, over 650,000 copies were shipped by December 12, 1997, and sales reached 850,000 units by February 1998. In Germany, it debuted at #1 on Media Control's rankings in late October 1997, remained in the top 5 through 1997, and held top positions into 1998. It received a VUD Gold award in August 1998 for 100,000 sales in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and a Platinum award by November for 200,000 sales. At the 1999 Milia festival, it won a Gold prize for over €15 million in European Union revenues in 1998. The game remained on German charts for 60 consecutive weeks.
Definitive Edition
Announced at E3 2017 by Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Isgreen, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition features overhauled graphics with 4K resolution support, a remastered soundtrack, online multiplayer via Xbox Live, and gameplay improvements like better pathfinding. Initially planned for October 19, 2017, it was delayed to February 20, 2018, and developed with Forgotten Empires and Tantalus Media. It launched exclusively on the Windows Store to mixed reviews, scoring 69/100 on Metacritic. In May 2019, Microsoft's Phil Spencer announced a reversal of the Windows Store exclusivity, and the game was released on Steam and Windows Store on August 19, 2019, with cross-play and availability on Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is Age of Empires (video game) available on?
Age of Empires was released for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile and Macintosh.
Who designed Age of Empires (video game)?
Age of Empires was designed by Brian Sullivan and Rick Goodman.
What engine does Age of Empires (video game) use?
Age of Empires runs on Genie.
More in Real-time Strategy Video Games
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced